Penny Dreadful: City of Angels — Series 1 Episode 1 — Santa Muerte — A Review

26th April, 2020.

Yes: it’s a definite … I’ve had dinner … !

Just in case you were wondering about what I was cooking, during the recording of that intro video … !

Peas, a baked spud … and some mince … if you must know.

Am I a good cook?

Possibly not … 

Although I doubt that, were I to do dinner for you … ?   I doubt I’d end up poisoning you.

I don’t know if you’d enjoy the food, but you’d still be alive at the end of the meal.

At any rate … ?

I’ve not sat down with a good TV show for a while: but knew Penny Dreadful spinoff, Penny Dreadful: City of Angels was due out, today.

If the first episode of the first series is anything to go by … ?

This could be good!

~≈¥≈~

Episode 1 — Santa Muerte — opens with bare credits … 

Backed by an apocalyptic narration provided by the demonic Magda (Natalie Dormer): shown in a field in Southern California, talking to her sister,  Santa Muerte (Lorenza Izzo) … where the pair are discussing quite how nasty humanity can be.

It’s then … ?

That Magda sets the field on fire: making sure of the death of one man, who’s soul Santa Muerte* has to usher through to the next world.

Whilst making sure the man’s son doesn’t get caught by the flames … 

Many years later, in 1938 Los Angeles?

We find that little boy, Tiago† Vega (Daniel Zovatto) is now a newly promoted plainclothes detective in LA’s police force: the first Mexican American to serve as such.

His family are determined to celebrate … 

But his (police) partner, Detective Lewis Michener (Nathan Lane) phones up … and asks Tiago to come in two days early.

There’s corpses in the LA River … of rich, white Americans who’ve possibly been killed by people who speak fluent Spanish.

And with wounds that look suspiciously … occult.

~≈¥≈~

Now … 

What did I mea of this first episode?   Is it good?   Is it setting up a suitable successor to the original Penny Dreadful?   Has Santa Muerte done so … whilst potentially setting up a series going in it’s own direction, feel and style?

Yes it has!

I’ve got to admit, with some of the films and TV shows I’ve watched, recently?

I will happily admit to having ants in my pants: stopping and starting the show, perpetually glancing at my watch, what have you.

Santa Muerte —with warring families, warring communities, warring entities — has kept me glued to my seat, tonight.

Showing me a take on American racial troubles that may be fictionalised … but certainly have their roots in the country’s history … 

Showing me takes on archetypes — Dormer’s devil, and Izzo’s Death‡ — that I’d not given thought to.

And setting up a story about a family who’s conflict I suspect will drive the rest of this series.

Will this first season of Penny Dreadful: City of Angels be any good?

Will I keep watching?   Am I going to tell you to watch?

On the very high strength of Santa Muerte?

Yes.

~≈¥≈~

“All mankind needs to be the monster he truly is … is being told he can.”
Magda, Santa Muerte.

*        The episode translates the name in to English as the ‘Holy Angel of Death.’   At this point in the story?   She seems to be the figure that collects souls.

†        It seems it’s a shortened version of Santiago.

‡        Izzo’s costume as Santa Muerte is something to see.   It’s seems to be a cross between a vintage wedding dress, with a mantilla: and an head-framing comb of skulls and nails …